Our Oakland

Monday, March 17, 2014

Oaklanders volunteer with Urban Releaf to green Oakland

On Saturday, dozens of neighbors and other Oaklanders volunteered with Urban Releaf to help green Oakland. Trees don't just help provide shade, they also improve air quality and beautify neighborhoods.

Urban Releaf was founded in 1998 by Kemba Shakur to serve economically-disadvantaged and ecologically underserved neighborhoods. Since then, the organization has planted thousands of free trees around the East Bay. It's also provided education and employment for at-risk youth.

Saturday provided near perfect weather for the tree planting near 89th Avenue. Some neighbors knew about the tree planting and were there at the start. Others saw the activity and came out and joined the work. It was great to see people of all ages and backgrounds working to make Oakland greener and a better place to live.